The Captives of Caraway
by WillTreaty618
Summary: Will and Horace have recently left the celebration of the return of Araluen's Crown Princess, Cassandra. But what happens when their childhood friend Alyss tells them that they must go on a negotiation mission to Caraway Fief? They soon discover that all in Caraway is not as it may seem, and that they are facing an old enemy. Rated T, just for some parts. No slash.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

**Disclaimer- I do not own any of the Ranger's Apprentice characters, I am only a huge fan! Plus, this is my first Fanfiction ever, so it might not be great. But if you start reading, please read the entire thing. Thanks!**

"Will! Hey, Will!" The newly assigned knight called.

The Ranger's apprentice turned around. "Yeah, Horace?"

Will and Halt, Will's mentor, had recently arrived back at Halt's cottage near Castle Redmont after the grand meeting at Castle Araluen, celebrating the defeat of the Temujai and the return of Princess Cassandra.

Though Will had seen Horace earlier that day, Horace left a few hours later in pursuit of Will.

Now, the two friends were gathered in the clearing outside of Halt's cottage.

"What'd you come for, Sir Horace?" Will asked the larger teen.

"Hey, Will, just because I'm a knight of the Royal Guard now doesn't mean you have to call me 'sir'. We're still just good old buddies," the new knight responded. "I came to see if you wanted to do some training?"

"Sure, Si- I mean, sure, Horace. You can tie Kicker up next to Tug, then we can get to it," Will told his friend.

Horace lead his large battle horse over next to Will's smaller Ranger horse and secured him there.

"Fight as we are?" Will asked from somewhere behind him.

Horace turned around. "Yea- wait, where are- OOF!"

Will dropped down from above Horace and tackled him to the ground. "Hey, you said as we are. You should've responded a little later if you weren't ready," Will joked.

"Humph," Horace uttered. Will stood up, then pulled his friend up too. "This time, wait till I'm ready."

"Okay," Will agreed. Horace took his oakleaf shield off of his back and strung it over his arm. He unsheathed his sword, then stabbed its point into the ground.

"Okay, this time, we can use weapons around us if we are disarmed. Now I'm ready," Horace stated.

Will whipped out his two knives- the saxe knife and the throwing knife- and readied his position.

Horace charged toward Will, sword ready to attack. He swung it down, realizing his mistake a second too late. Will blocked the swing with his double knives, then disarmed Horace of his sword. Horace cursed in the small amount of Skandian tongue he had learned from the Skandians, then brought his shield forward.

He rammed his shield into Will, knocking the knives out of his grasp, then kicked them away as Will reached for them.

Horace's booted foot stood in the way of the knives, and Will scrambled to his feet. Will did something Horace had never seen before- without any support, Will backflipped three times, and landed on a small landing on the other side of the creek beside them, and drew his bow.

"When did you learn that?" Horace asked, stunned.

"Just a little somethin' I picked up in Skandia," Will said sarcastically.

Horace examined his surroundings, then saw a spear beside Kicker. He ran over, grabbed the spear, then ran back, and tried something he had never done, successfully, I might add, before- he used the spear and vaulted across the creek, and up onto the landing.

He swung his shield and knocked the longbow out of Will's grasp.

"Where'd you learn that?" Will asked, shocked.

"Just a little somethin' I picked up in Skandia," Horace mocked. "Looks as though you're unarmed."

"Appears that way, doesn't it?" Will said.

Horace stepped backward, near a wall on the landing. "Looks like I win!" He said cockily, shoving his shield into the dirt.

"Looks can be deceiving!" Will said, and with a flash, he grabbed his two knives and threw them towards Horace.

Horace yelped, figuring his life was over, but the two knives landed a hair away from his shoulders on both sides. The knives had pinned his shirt to the wall, with him in it.

"Well, looks like you win, Will," Horace admitted.

A laugh came from below them. "Looks as though Will bested you, Horace," Halt called up to them.

"Indeed he has," Horace muttered.

Will laughed with pleasure. "Finally, I beat Horace at something! Now, I'm gonna go celebrate away from the rage I sense Horace is about to unleash," Will said, climbing down from the landing, across the stream, while picking up his weapons, then onto Tug.

"Let Horace down when you sense he's ready, Halt. Unless you want him to get himself down?" Will asked Halt from atop Tug.

"I'll let him let himself down. I might go brew myself a mug of coffee. I haven't had some good coffee in some time," Halt reminisced while heading into his cabin.

"WILL!" Horace shouted as the smaller youth rode out of the woods.

**Read and Review peoples! Please only positive reviews, but if you find any spelling errors, don't hesitate to tell me! **

**Sincerely, **

** WillTreaty618**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2-

**Disclaimer- I do not own any of the Ranger's Apprentice characters, I am only a huge fan! Plus, this is my first Fanfiction ever, so it might not be great. But if you start reading, please read the entire thing. Thanks!**

Will rode Tug at top speed as he heard Horace in the distance yell, "WILL!"

He decided that he should head to Castle Redmont, because he had some strange urge in the back of his mind to see his childhood friend, Alyss Mainwaring, Lady Pauline's apprentice.

He rode on for some time, until he heard hoofbeats behind him.

"Get back here, Will!" Horace called.

"Gotta catch me first, Altman!" Will called, taking off on Tug.

Eventually, Will arrived at Castle Redmont, with Horace not far behind.

"How does Tug ride for so long, so fast?" Horace asked inquisitively.

Will shrugged. "Eh, practice, maybe?"

"Sounds reasonable," Horace agreed. "Since you won, I take it as my honor to pay for dinner."

"Where?" Will asked.

"I thought we would pay Jenny a visit in the restaurant she works at in Wensley Village," Horace suggested.

"Maybe pick up Alyss on the way?" Will mentioned quietly.

"Ha, yeah, we'll pick up Alyss. Then I'll give you two some alone time an-"

"I will run you through with this knife," Will threatened, unsheathing his saxe.

Horace raised his hands in surrender. "Okay, okay! Someone's in a mood…"

Kicker and Tug whinnied in agreement.

"Can it, you two!" Will grumbled.

(Time Skip)

Will clasped his hand on the stone windowsill at the top of the tower in Castle Redmont.

He peeked his head in. "So if you were greeting King Duncan, carrying an urgent message, how would you begin?" Lady Pauline asked Alyss.

"I would begin by bowing, then I would say, 'Good afternoon, your highness. I bring an urgent message from the Baron Arald of Castle Redmont. My name is-" Alyss caught a glimpse of Will in the window, "WILL!"

Lady Pauline jumped in her seat. "Your name is Will?" She asked as Alyss ran to the window.

Will jumped in the window, and into the small office room. Alyss kissed his cheek with joy. Lady Pauline cleared her throat loudly three times. Alyss stepped away from Will and developed a sudden interest in her shoes.

"My sincerest apologies, Lady Pauline, if I were interrupting anything," Will said calmly.

"It is okay, Will," Lady Pauline replied.

"My lady, may I borrow Alyss for a moment, and then return her?" Will asked politely.

"Sure, Will. You may step outside for the moment. Just… don't use the window next time," Lady Pauline requested.

"Yes ma'am. Thank you," Will said. He laced his hand through Alyss's and led her out the door.

Once it was shut, Alyss said, "Oh, it is such a delight that you are here, Will! I am so sorry that I missed the ceremony earlier! I deeply wished that I could make it."

"It's fine, Alyss. I came because I was wondering if you wanted to come to dinner with Horace and I at Jenny's restaurant?"

"Oh, I would love to! Thank you, Will!" Alyss said. She gave him a quick peck on the lips. "If you'll excuse me, I will go request the night off from Pauline."

Will cleared his throat quickly. "Yeah, sure. I'll be right out here."

Alyss stepped back into the office, and closed the door behind her. Will stood outside for a few minutes, twiddling his thumbs, fiddling with his saxe knife, until Alyss finally emerged from the room.

"Okay, I am off for tonight! Now let's go catch up with each other. I am DYING to hear what happened in Skandia," Alyss said.

**Read and Review peoples! Please only positive reviews, but if you find any spelling errors, don't hesitate to tell me! **

**Sincerely, **

** WillTreaty618**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

**Disclaimer- I do not own any of the Ranger's Apprentice characters, I am only a huge fan! Plus, this is my first Fanfiction ever, so it might not be great. But if you start reading, please read the entire thing. Thanks!**

"And when the Temujai rounded the bend, my pulse stopped. There were thousands of them. Thousands," Horace explained at their table in The Heaped Platter.

Alyss was completely engrossed in the story, while Will was listening as he heard it from his friend's point of view.

"Will! Horace! Alyss!" Jenny called from across the restaurant. "I'm so glad you could all make it! I take it George is stuck up in his work again?"

Jenny had gone from clear across the room, to right next to their table in a matter of seconds. The pretty blonde girl was wearing a chef's hat, with her apron, with grease and sauces all over it.

"Hey, Jenny," Horace said. Horace couldn't deny it- even covered in grease, Jenny was beautiful. And Horace was already in a relationship with Princess Cassandra, a relationship that would be bloody for Horace if he strayed away from it.

"Hi, Jen," Will said casually. The perky girl still had her normal happy glow that seemed to influence everyone around her, even with all of the business.

"Hello, Jenny. It is wonderful to see you!" Alyss said politely.

"Thanks everyone. I heard about your adventures in Skandia. You two are heroes here. Anytime you want, come here, and I will give you a free meal, no doubt about it," Jenny told Will and Horace.

"Thanks, Jen!" Will said happily.

"Thanks, Jenny, but you're over exaggerating it," Horace said humbly.

"And you weren't?" Will asked him sarcastically.

"Nope," Horace denied. "Now what are the specials?"

(Time Skip)

"Oh, man! Am I stuffed or what?" Horace said, leaning his chair back. He had cleaned three full platters of lamb chops, not to mention an entire berry cobbler.

"I have never seen anyone eat more than you in my life, Horace," Alyss admitted. Alyss had helped herself to a salad, as the Heaped Platter was known for all of its food, even salad, and a small slice of pie.

"So true," Will agreed. He had had just one serving of lamb chops, along with part of a berry cobbler, and that had left him as full as ever.

"Thanks, Jenny, for the great food and the great hospitality!" Horace thanked the young chef.

"No problem, Horace! I'm happy to serve you!" Jenny said cheerfully, as she does everything.

"Well, its getting dark, so I might be heading over to the inn to spend the night. See you in the morning, Will. Evening, Alyss," Horace said, leaving the crowded restaurant.

Jenny left their table to go tend to the other customers. That left Will and Alyss alone at their table.

"Will?" Alyss asked quietly.

"Yeah?"

"There's something I need to ask of you," Alyss said. Will gestured in a go-on motion. "Princess Cassandra and I have to go to Caraway Fief to negotiate a new deal between Baron Fergus of Caraway and King Duncan. I am going as her 'diplomatic adviser', as Pauline puts it. The two of us require an armed escort, and so we decided that we would bring four armed knights, Horace, Gilan, since his father is the Battlemaster of Caraway, and we thought we would bring you. What do you say?"

"Sure, Alyss. I'd love to go. It'll be a good change from daily life, from the days of cold and hardship in Skandia. It'll be fun," Will said.

"Thanks, Will. It means a lot," Alyss said.

And with that, the two kissed, while Jenny watched out of the corner of her eye at the table across the aisle.

(Time Skip)

Horace walked into the inn in Wensley Village. The inn also functioned as a tavern, and it was full of laughter and merriment, even at this late hour. The inn was named the Drunken Dragon, as was their strongest drink, if anyone dared to drink it. Not even a Skandian could handle the wrath of the Drunken Dragon.

Horace walked up to the counter. "Innkeeper?"

The late forty year-old, early fifty year-old man came up to the counter. "You sure look awful young to be at a place like this, this late at night?"

"If you haven't noticed by my shield, I'm Sir Horace, the knight of the Order of the Oakleaf. I'm part of the King's Royal Guard," Horace warned.

"Oh, well in that case, call me Gerald. I'll show you to our finest room. I assume that your battle horse has been shown a spot in our stables?" The innkeeper asked, leading Horace up the staircase.

"Yes, Gerald. I've made sure myself that he's secure," Horace told him.

Horace put his small amount of belongings into the large room he had been assigned. Once he had made sure that everything was in its place, he decided that it wouldn't hurt to go have a small drink.

He went back downstairs, where as he was heading to the counter, he was grabbed and pulled to a table in the corner.

Three burly men surrounded the table, each as drunken as the one before, and each demanding for more drink in their tankards.

The man who grabbed him growled at him, "Hey kid! Whaddya doin' up this late?"

The man to his right joined in. "Yeah, ain't it past ya bedtime?"

Horace's hand reached down to his sword.

The man who had grabbed him raised his hands defensively. "Hey, no need for dat kinda action!"

"What do you want?" Horace asked. "I'm not the kid you want to be messing with."

"Oooh, little boy got some attitude!" The man to the left said.

"Relax kid," his captor said. "We were just gonna give ya a drink." The man slid a full tankard over to Horace.

Horace sniffed carefully. "What is it?"

"Oh, only the best that this tavern serves," his captor said. Horace began to sip earnestly at it. The burly man leaned over to his two friends. "Only the best indeed. The Drunken Dragon."

**Read and Review peoples! Please only positive reviews, but if you find any spelling errors, don't hesitate to tell me! **

**Sincerely, **

** WillTreaty618**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

**Disclaimer- I do not own any of the Ranger's Apprentice characters, I am only a huge fan! Plus, this is my first Fanfiction ever, so it might not be great. But if you start reading, please read the entire thing. Thanks!**

Will was anxious to tell Horace about the remainder of the night with Alyss.

Will swung himself onto Tug, after saying a happy farewell to Alyss, and rode swiftly to the inn.

He tied Tug to a fencepost, then went inside. The inn was full of merry laughter and drunken men, because everyone knows that drunken men can practically only laugh. But he wasn't expecting what he saw when he arrived inside.

Horace was at the bar, surrounded by a group of large men. "It's empty again!" Horace demanded, with the slur of words showing drunkenness, while slamming his tankard against the counter.

Will knew Horace, and he could tell this wasn't him. He must've had three, four tankards? "Horace wouldn't drink that much, would he?" Will said to himself.

As the bartender came up to Horace and began to pour Horace's drink in the mug, Will swung his longbow off of his shoulder, loaded an arrow, and shot the tankard out of Horace's hand. The tankard clattered to the ground with a seemingly deafening clang.

Horace slowly turned around, a grim and drunken expression on his face, and asked, "Who was that?" His eyes fell on Will. "Was it you, you scrawny, little-"

"I wouldn't go there, if I were you," Will interrupted, another arrow aimed directly at Horace.

Horace stormed towards him, as well as a drunken man could, knocking over two tables on the way. "You wanna go?!" Horace demanded. The hiss of metal resounded through the room as Horace unsheathed his sword.

Will swung his bow back over his shoulder, then whipped out his knives. "Horace, I don't wanna fight, but if it's the only way to stop you… then bring it."

Horace swung his sword down in an angry arc at Will, and Will blocked it with his double knife defense move. He kneed Horace in the stomach, then pulled the sword out of his grasp as he crumpled to the ground, clenching his stomach.

Horace growled angrily, and stood back up to his feet, now unarmed. Will felt an oncoming blow on its way, so he slapped Horace across the face.

Horace then looked at Will, made a confused expression, then said, "Hey, Will. What… happened in here?" Horace looked around at the mess he had made. The drunken, glazed look was gone from his eyes, though Will knew that Horace would have a horrible headache in the morning.

Will saw the men that had been surrounding Horace quickly file out the door. Will didn't bother going after them. No permanent harm done, he thought to himself.

He straightened up the tables, then apologized to the innkeeper. "Sorry, sir. My friend here never had much of a gut for strong drinks," Will said.

"Not much of a gut?" The innkeeper asked with a laugh. "Why, he was the first person ever to be able to handle the Drunken Dragon! Why, four tankards of it, in fact!"

Will was shocked. Horace had had four tankards of Redmont's strongest drink, and he hadn't gone completely insane? Will decided that he really needed to go lie down.

He asked the innkeeper, Gerald apparently, if he could stay with Horace in his room, and Gerald agreed happily.

"Any friend of the Drunken Dragon Tamer is a friend of mine!" Gerald said. The Drunken Dragon Tamer was apparently Horace's new title in the inn.

After that night, Will was ready to go to bed. He turned around and saw that Horace had become quite popular. Sitting in a the middle of a booth, Horace was surrounded by extremely attractive drunken girls, all stroking his muscles and giggling gaily.

"Why does Horace get everything?" Will whined aloud, and Gerald laughed beside him.

"I know how you feel. Sir David of Caraway and I were childhood buddies, but as we grew up, we grew apart. He got the swordsmanship lessons from the great MacNeil of Bannock, the fair maidens, the fame, and the fortune. And all I have is this crummy inn," Gerald said, gesturing to the room around him.

"It's not crummy," Will said. He fairly liked the inn. Will was also slightly shocked. This old innkeeper was friends with Gilan's father? Small world, Will thought.

"Have you seen Castle Caraway? This place is a dump compared to where David works!" Gerald exclaimed.

Will and Gerald talked for a few more moments, until Will decided it was time to retire to bed. Will called Horace over.

Horace stumbled over to him, somehow getting out of the hands of the girls. Horace's face and neck were covered in red marks, which Will assumed were from kisses. "Those girls are animals. Really attractive animals," Horace stated. He tiredly laid a hand on Will's shoulder. "I am SO ready to go pass out."

**Read and Review peoples! Please only positive reviews, but if you find any spelling errors, don't hesitate to tell me! **

**Sincerely, **

** WillTreaty618**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

**Disclaimer- I do not own any of the Ranger's Apprentice characters, I am only a huge fan! Plus, this is my first Fanfiction ever, so it might not be great. But if you start reading, please read the entire thing. Thanks!**

"Ugghhh," Horace groaned. The young knight was lying on his inn bed upside down, his head falling to the floor.

"Will you stop your groaning?" Will exclaimed. He was sitting at the desk in the room, listening to Horace's constant moaning from his horrible headache.

"I never want to drink anything ever again! Ugghhh," Horace continued. He was still in pain over the events that had happened the night before.

"Okay, what's wrong with Horace?" A girl's voice said in the doorway.

Both Will and Horace turned. Alyss was ready for travel, with riding boots and a more comfortable outfit than her usual white dress.

"Last night, Horace was forced to drink against his will, then was held against his will by extremely attractive girls. His words, not mine," Will explained to Alyss.

Alyss had a confused and partially disturbed expression upon her face. "Next time, remind me not to ask."

"Well, on the bright side, we can stay here and get free food anytime we want, thanks to Horace, or should I say, the Drunken Dragon Tamer!" Will exclaimed.

"Uggghhhhh," was Horace's reply.

"Does he know that we are leaving for Caraway today?" Alyss asked.

"Oops. I may have forgotten to mention it to him," Will told her. "Horace! We're leaving for Caraway today!"

"Yeah, I heard! Ugghhh!" Horace exclaimed.

"Did I mention Evanlyn's gonna come with us?" Will mentioned.

"Cassie's coming? Yay!" Horace exclaimed like a young schoolboy on Christmas break. He jumped out of bed, and began putting his boots on.

"Hey, Horace, wait until Alyss is out of here for you to start changing," Will suggested.

"Just because Cassie's coming means I have to change clothes?" Horace whined.

Both Alyss and Will shook their heads in exasperation. Will gathered his few belongings, then headed out the door, behind Alyss.

"Are you ending your stay with us here, young Ranger Will?" Gerald, the innkeeper, asked as he finished down the stairs.

"Yeah, Gerald. Thank you for providing rooms for my friend and I," Will thanked.

"Oh, no problem. It's the least I could do for the Drunken Dragon Tamer and his friend. Speaking of which, where is the Tamer?" Gerald asked.

"Coming!" Horace called from upstairs. He was ready, with his sword, AND fresh clothes. "I am ready to go!"

After they said their farewells to Gerald, they headed out to the stables, and loaded their belongings onto the packhorse, then mounting themselves onto Tug, Kicker, and Alyss' royal horse.

They then headed northeast towards Castle Araluen.

At midday, the small group settled into a small clearing for lunch.

"Who wants fish?" Will asked. The other two looked at him with confused looks.

"How exactly do you plan to catch fish in the middle of the woods?" Horace asked.

"Can't you hear it?" Will asked.

"Hear what?" The other two asked.

"The river. There's a river, say, half a mile up the path from here. I could go catch a fish or two and be back in a half hour. Want to?" Will explained.

"Sure. But is it safe to go alone?" Alyss asked.

"Nope, that's why I'm going with the little guy!" A voice said from behind Will. Gilan stood laughing over Will.

"Hey, Gil!" Will exclaimed, giving the taller Ranger a friendly hug. "I heard you would be joining up with us, I just didn't know when."

"Well, I'm joining up with you now! So let's go catch some fish!" Gilan exclaimed.

"Are you sure you two can hold down the fort for a half hour?" Will asked to his two friends at the campsite.

Horace waved dismissively. "We'll be fine!" Will raised an eyebrow. "Really!"

Will sighed. "You two better be fine when we get back…"

Alyss rose from her position beside the fire. She took a few paces in Will's direction until she was standing uncomfortably close to him. "We'll be fine. Stay safe," Alyss whispered in her shorter friend's ear. She kissed him on the cheek, then returned to her spot at the campfire.

Gilan and Horace both looked at Will and suggestively raised their eyebrows. Will rolled his eyes in exchange.

"Well, we best be going by now. Be back in a half hour," Gilan said, grabbing the younger Ranger by his cowl and dragging him to the horses.

In a few swift movements, the two Rangers were on their horses, and out of sight.

Horace and Alyss both looked at each other. "They're coming back, right?" Horace asked.

"Let's hope, but you never know with Will," Alyss said with a shrug.

Horace twiddled his thumbs. "So… know any good campfire songs?"

(Time Skip)

"We are back with the fish!" Gilan called.

The two Ranger horses galloped into the campsite, then let their riders off.

"We got two fish, so let's get cookin'!" Gilan exclaimed as he started preparing the fish.

Will looked at his two friends by the campfire. He thought he noticed a few looks exchanged between them that weren't normally there. "What's with the secrecy?" He thought to himself.

(Time Skip)

"That was some good fish!" Horace exclaimed.

"Yes, thank you, Will and Gilan. It was very good fish," Alyss agreed.

"Ahh, no problem," Gilan said, even though he knew he was a pretty good chef and fisherman, along with his Ranger and swordsman skills, not to mention his good looks and charm. "Man, what girl wouldn't want this?" He frequently thought to himself.

Will remained quiet, still trying to figure out what the secrecy between he, Horace and Alyss was. Finally he said, "Well, we should be heading off. We could reach Castle Araluen before sundown if we start off now."

So the four friends, along with their five horses, began riding along the trail again.

In a few hours, the small group arrived at Castle Araluen.

Outside of the castle, a group of horses waited, along with four knights, clad in armor. The knights waved expectantly at the small group as they arrived in the castle.

"Sir Horace! I assume our newest, youngest knight is going to stay with us, instead of going on some wild goose chase with grey-bearded Rangers?" The tallest knight said, laughing, and awakening another round of laughing from his fellow knights.

"Yeah, laugh it up, Vernon. But on the last so-called 'wild goose chase', I saved Araluen's Crown Princess, Cassandra, not to mention saving the entire land of Skandia while doing it," Horace countered. The four knights fell silent.

After a few moments of silence, a girl's voice shouted, "Horace! Will!" Princess Cassandra came running out into the courtyard, dressed not in her formal attire, but ready for riding.

"Cassie!" Horace said.

He embraced the princess in a hug, until she said, "Horace. You're crushing me."

"Oh. Sorry," Horace apologized.

Cassandra then ran to Will. "Hello, Will. I've meant to talk to you in these past weeks since the return, but I hadn't had the chance. I finally convinced my dad to let me go on this mission so I could finally talk to you."

"Oh, I didn't know you wanted to talk to me, Evanlyn… Cassandra… what would you rather me call you?" Will asked, uncertain.

"I know you're used to calling me Evanlyn, so if that's easier for you, then sure, call me Evanlyn," the princess told Will.

"Oh. Okay. Thanks!" Will said awkwardly.

Cassandra pursed her lips. She could sense the awkwardness between them as well. Luckily, her father saved her from having to continue the conversation.

"Hello, everyone," King Duncan said as he stepped into the massive courtyard. He walked towards the group of travelers, then patting Will and Horace on the back. "Hello, young men. Take care of my daughter, and my courier."

"Yes, your highness," the two teenagers said with a bow.

"And you," Duncan said, gesturing in Gilan's direction, "Dylan, was it?"

"Gilan, your highness," Gilan corrected the king, politely.

"Oh, Gilan. You make sure these kids don't get into any trouble, though I have a bad feeling they will," Duncan told Gilan.

"Yes, my liege," Gilan said, with a bow.

Duncan approached his daughter. "Cassie."

"Yes, dad?" The princess asked.

"Stay safe. Only use your sling if you really have to, and listen to your guards and your friends. Stay out of trouble. I love you, my daughter," Duncan said, kissing her on the forehead.

"Love you too, dad," Cassandra said. As the two let go, the king turned to the knights.

As he called out their names, they went into attention. "Sir Brennigan. Sir Vernon. Sir Jeffrey. Sir Artur. Keep my daughter and the courier safe, okay?"

"Yes, sir!" The knights said in unison.

"Now, move with haste. If you leave now, you can make it a quarter of the way by sundown, then you can set up camp. Goodbye, my friends," the king dismissed them.

**Read and Review peoples! Please only positive reviews, but if you find any spelling errors, don't hesitate to tell me! **

**Sincerely, **

** WillTreaty618**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

**Disclaimer- I do not own any of the Ranger's Apprentice characters, I am only a huge fan! Plus, this is my first Fanfiction ever, so it might not be great. But if you start reading, please read the entire thing. Thanks!**

The escort group moved along hastily.

The four knights all talked and laughed loudly the entire way, letting everyone in a one-mile radius know they were there.

"Could you four quiet down?!" Horace exclaimed at his fellow knights.

"Why?" The short knight, Sir Jeffrey, asked. "What good would it do us if we are quiet? We could defeat anyone who challenged us, so why quiet down?"

"Because I said so, that's why!" Horace snapped.

"Anyone with ears within a few miles can hear you four!" Will stated.

Evanlyn turned around on her horse. "Men, quiet down," she commanded softly.

"Yes, your highness," the four knights said, quietly, in unison.

Will and Horace turned to face the princess. "Royalty comes with its charms!" She said with a smile.

The next hour was much quieter, and as the King had predicted, they arrived about a quarter or halfway to Castle Caraway.

They found a decently sized clearing, and the knights and Rangers set up camp.

The campsite was composed of four large tents, and a quickly established lean-to for the nine horses, along with the three packhorses.

The group decided to just eat some of their provisions, which consisted of some cold, dried meat, some fruit, and some dried bread.

"Well, its not much, but… its not much," Horace said with a sigh.

"Well, get used to it. These are staple foods for traveling," Gilan said, patting the teenager on the back.

After the small dinner, the group decided it was time to head in to sleep for the night.

Alyss and Evanlyn shared a tent, Will, Horace, and Gilan shared, then the other two tents were split up amongst the knights, Jeffrey and Vernon in one, Artur and Brennigan in another.

"You want me to take the first watch?" Gilan asked Will, about to head into the tent.

"Nah, Horace and I will take the first watch. We can wake you up when it's your shift. Get some sleep," Will told the taller Ranger.

Gilan grinned at him. "Thanks, buddy. I can always count on you."

Will grinned back, as the tall Ranger went into their tent. He turned around, and was then faced by his tall knight friend.

"Hey, Will. Look, since we have a good while to talk, there is something I really have to tell you," Horace told his smaller friend.

"Yeah, sure, Horace," Will said. "What is it?"

"You might want to sit down," Horace warned. The two went and sat down on the logs beside the fire. "So, you know how you and Gilan went to go catch fish?"

"Mmm-hmm," Will said. He rolled his hands in a go-on gesture.

"And you know how I was left alone with Alyss, right?" Horace asked.

Will felt his heart starting to pound faster in his chest, and his fists began to clench, but he tried to maintain his cool. "Yes."

"Well, I've been, kind of, wanting to make a move on Evanlyn, but… I didn't know how. I asked Alyss for tips, and she said to pretend that she was Evanlyn," Horace stated.

Will started to piece many wild ideas of what happened together in his head. Don't jump to conclusions, Will told himself.

"So, I started experimenting, trying to find something that would work. Then I wanted to know how to kiss, in case the moment came up with Evanlyn, and… long story short, Alyss and I kissed," Horace said with a sigh.

"YOU… WHAT?!" Will exclaimed, jumping up from his log. He heard the same words echoed from the girls' tent. Evanlyn came running out, with Alyss right behind her.

"Cassandra, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to kiss him. It didn't mean anything!" Alyss apologized hastily.

Evanlyn ran up to Will, tears in her eyes. "Did you hear about-"

"Horace and Alyss?" Will finished.

"Yeah," they said in unison. Will felt a strange impulse of revenge, one that had never overcome him before, and Evanlyn felt the exact same one. Evanlyn grabbed Will and pulled him towards her, and kissed him. Her soft lips touched his for many seconds, until finally, she released him.

Will looked wildly from Evanlyn, to Alyss, to Horace, and back again. "Did you just…"

"Did I just…" Evanlyn said, as shocked as Will was.

Will's eyes met Alyss's tear filled eyes. "Will… how could you?" Her voice was weak, and full of sadness.

"Alyss, I-I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me… I-I just was…" Will sighed. "I was jealous. I really was. I was jealous that Horace had kissed you. I am really sorry." Will felt horrible, and decided that if there was any way to change what had happened in the past few minutes, he would.

Alyss shook her head. "I believe you, Will. What I can't believe is that you actually did it," she said, as she turned around and headed back to her tent.

"Alyss, wait! I-I-I'm sorry," Will said. Evanlyn put a shaky hand on his shoulder.

"Give her until morning. She'll sort herself out," Evanlyn assured, although she wasn't entirely sure of herself, and her talk with Horace hadn't gone any better. He had gotten angry, which made her angry, which made neither of them to be able to find any logical conclusions, and finally, Horace had just stormed away. "So, I guess we really messed things up, huh?"

"Yeah," Will said with a deep sigh. "You want to help me keep watch, since Horace is gone now?"

"Sure, why not? It'll be Gilan's turn in a few hours, anyway," Evanlyn said, sitting down glumly on Horace's empty log.

They exchanged a look at each other, then groaned loudly. "We really messed things up," they said.

**Read and Review peoples! Please only positive reviews, but if you find any spelling errors, don't hesitate to tell me! **

**Sincerely, **

** WillTreaty618**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

**Disclaimer- I do not own any of the Ranger's Apprentice characters, I am only a huge fan! Plus, this is my first Fanfiction ever, so it might not be great. But if you start reading, please read the entire thing. Thanks!**

Horace woke up in a deep sweat.

He had just awoken from a terrible nightmare, where Will had kissed Evanlyn in front of him, and then they got married, while he died alone. That really got him sweating.

He sat up, and rubbed his eyes. Gilan was sitting up a few feet away from him. "Morning, Horace. I don't know about you, but personally, I slept magnificently," the Ranger said in a cheerful tone.

"Morning to you too," Horace grumbled. He began to look around, and noticed that Will wasn't in the tent. Then he started to panic. "Wait, Gil, you slept the whole night, right?"

"Yep, I slept like a dog," Gilan said. "Why?"

"Will was supposed to wake you for your turn to watch!" Horace exclaimed. Then a realization hit him. "And I was supposed to watch with him!" Horace jumped up and threw on his trousers, then grabbed his sword and ran outside.

To Horace's relief, Will was sitting by the fire, a mug of coffee in his hand. Evanlyn was lying across from him, asleep on the ground. Horace noticed that she was laying on Will's cloak, and was using one of his satchels as a pillow.

"Morning," grumbled Will. Horace sat down across from him, and saw that Will's eyes were red, and also had deep purple bags under them. His hair was ruffled, and stuck up in a few spots.

"Will, why didn't you get Gil or I up? You could've died out here! You could've fallen asleep, and put as all in danger!" Horace said accusingly.

"But did I?" Will snapped.

"What?" Horace asked.

"But did I?" Will repeated. "Did I die out here? Did I fall asleep and put us all in danger?"

"Well, no," Horace admitted.

"Then it was fine. I kept us all safe. Mission complete," Will said. Horace could still tell that he wasn't his normal, fun self. This was a completely different Will. A serious, grim, irritable Will.

Oh no, Horace thought, Will has turned into Halt. He laughed to himself at his own joke, then remembered something. "Will, can I ask you something?"

"You just did," Will replied irritably.

"Well can I ask you another thing?" Horace questioned.

"You just did," Will repeated.

"I'm just gonna ask it then. What happened last night?" Horace asked.

Will looked up from his coffee. "You mean… you don't remember any of it?"

Horace shook his head. "Not one measly bit."

"Well, to be honest with you, here's what happened. You told me what happened between you and Alyss, and apparently Alyss told the same thing to Evanlyn. Evanlyn came running out to me, and then, out of anger and jealousy, we kissed each other to get even with you two. I'm sorry, Horace. I really am," Will said.

Horace was silent for a few moments. He finally looked up at Will and said, "You know what? I forgive you. I know exactly how it feels when anger and jealousy take over, and I know how hard it is to control it. No hard feelings?"

"No hard feelings," Will agreed. The two boys patted each other on the back.

Evanlyn sat up from her spot on the ground, and rubbed her eyes. "Oh, nice to see that you two made up. Now comes the hard part- convincing Alyss."

(Time Skip)

It was before noon, about midmorning, when Will finally approached Alyss. The traveling group hadn't left yet, since the hostility of the night before would cause the group to not travel efficiently.

Horace was with his four knights, Vernon, Brennigan, Artur, and Jeffrey, practicing their expert swordsmanship. Gilan was discussing with Evanlyn plans for what to gather for lunch, if they should use their provisions, or hunt. Alyss was sitting by the fire, staring intently into the flames, as Will approached to discuss terms between them.

"What do you want, Will?" Alyss said formally, trying to mask her feelings as she had been taught by Lady Pauline, though Will could detect the slightest hint of anger in her voice.

"I just want to talk about last night," Will said, sitting across from her. He had been stressing for the past twelve hours or so about how to discuss this with her. Now was the time.

"There isn't much to talk about. You and the princess kissed, that's all there is to it," Alyss said. Her nose crinkled in despise as she said the word 'princess'. She didn't very much like the princess, mostly because she felt she was trying to steal Will. And so far, Alyss thought, the princess was winning.

"That's not all there is to it," Will said defiantly. "Okay, so, yeah, I did kiss her. Was it on purpose? No. Did I want to do it? No. Did I try to do it? No. I'm extremely sorry to say it, but anger and jealousy overcame me. I was jealous that you had kissed Horace, even though you were just trying to teach him, and I let it control me. Alyss," Will said, "I am so sorry."

Besides a small sigh, there was no reply from Alyss.

"Please, Alyss. It's you I lo-" Will stopped himself. "Alyss, I don't like Evanlyn in the way I like you. Sure, her and I have been through a lot, but we are just really good friends. Now will you please, please talk to me," Will begged. Alyss knew that he was killed by the silent treatment.

Instead of saying a word, she threw her arms around his neck, and cried on his shoulder. "I'm sorry too, Will. I believe you now, I was just… I was just too jealous last night to think clearly. I really do believe you," Alyss said. Will felt her soft lips on his cheek.

At that moment, Will felt that his world was completely perfect. At least, that was, until he heard footsteps running up the dirt path.

A girl of about seventeen, wearing a tunic, extremely short dress, and riding boots, ran up to their campsite. She spoke with a slightly Gallican accent. "Rangers, knights, I need help."

"What's the problem?" Gilan asked.

"Castle Caraway has been overtaken. The castle is closed, with all of its people inside, except a few. My dad is in there, along with Baron Fergus and Battlemaster David," the girl explained.

Gilan jumped up at the mention of his father. "Who could have done such a thing?"

The girl brushed her hair out of her eyes. "That's the thing. It's the devils on horseback," the girl said.

Will, Horace, and Evanlyn exchanged a shockingly worried look.

"What? What is it?" Gilan asked, one of the only ones who didn't understand what the girl meant.

"Gil," Horace said, "I am sorry to say, that we are facing the Temujai once more."

**Read and Review peoples! Please only positive reviews, but if you find any spelling errors, don't hesitate to tell me! **

**Sincerely, **

** WillTreaty618**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

**Disclaimer- I do not own any of the Ranger's Apprentice characters, I am only a huge fan! But I do own this new girl! Plus, this is my first Fanfiction ever, so it might not be great. But if you start reading, please read the entire thing. Thanks!**

The girl with the news was welcomed by Horace to sit down with them. By the looks of it, she was fatigued from running.

"So, you ran here all the way from Castle Caraway?" Horace said, handing her a cup of coffee.

The girl nodded, then sipped the coffee eagerly. "I left as soon as I could. The Temujai came practically out of nowhere. Seriously, business as usual, then in under an hour, the castle was overtaken, everyone inside."

"That seems impossible," Gilan said. "Castle Caraway has some of the best defenses in Araluen, I should know, I was raised there. The guard service is unbeatable, especially with my father as the head."

"Your father?" The girl asked, before she raised the mug to her mouth again.

"Sir David. He's my father. He is one of the best swordsman in the kingdom, he shouldn't have been subdued!" Gilan exclaimed.

"Well, before we go into great detail of how the Temujai conquered Caraway, could you tell us who you are?" Will asked the girl.

"Oh, me? I'm Kaila. Kaila Mckintyre. My father, Klint, works for Baron Fergus. And my brother, Kris… well, he's… dead," Kaila said sadly.

"What happened?" Evanlyn asked.

"It was last night. The Temujai came. He was on guard. He stood in their way of the castle. He took down three of their men and horses before being shot down by one of those cursed sharpshooters," Kaila explained angrily.

"Kaijin," Will said, a growl in his voice. His disgust for the Temujai archers was clearly presented.

"Your brother died a hero," Horace said, patting the girl on the back.

"Yeah, he did. Well, my family, we came here from Gallica in search of jobs. My father and brother were recruited into Drayden fief, then were eventually transferred to Caraway. And we've lived there ever since, until last night during the takeover," Kaila explained.

"That explains the short dress," Horace whispered to Will.

"What?" Will asked.

"Ahh, I'll tell you some other day. Maybe four years from now. That sounds about good," Horace said. Will sighed.

"Hey," Kaila started, "don't I know you from somewhere, Horace?"

"Umm, no!" Horace said quickly.

"Weren't you with that short archer in the cloak in Gallica? The one who said that my friends and I were couriers?" Kaila questioned.

"I have no idea what you are talking about!" Horace countered. Luckily for him, and Halt, Will didn't hear Kaila's guesses.

"Are you sure, because you look awfully familiar?" Kaila asked. "So does that bigger horse over in the stable. He looks VERY familiar."

"Okay, fine, yes, it was me. Now let me just ask, were you really couriers? Are your dresses really for running?" Horace whispered to Kaila.

"No, we aren't. And no, they aren't. And we Gallicans have very good hearing. I heard what you said about my friends and I," Kaila accused. A worried expression crossed Horace's normally calm face. "And thanks, they do make me look more attractive, don't they?"

Horace paused. He glanced at Evanlyn, then looked back. "No comment," he said.

Kaila smiled. "I have him wrapped around my finger already," the Gallican girl thought. She wouldn't let Horace know that. Yet, of course.

Will looked back from his side discussion with Gilan and Evanlyn. "So, approximately how many Temujai were there?" He asked Kaila.

"About sixty, seventy horsemen. There were also about a dozen archers patrolling the castle," Kaila said.

"So, an entire ulan, and a dozen kaijin. Sounds like a recipe for trouble. And how are we supposed to take the castle with only five knights, one and three quarters Rangers, a princess, and a seventeen year old Gallican girl?" Will asked.

"Hey, this princess is more an advantage than a disadvantage!" Evanlyn countered defensively.

"Yeah, and this Gallican can take down a few warriors single-handedly!" Kaila bragged.

"No way," Gilan said.

"I can!" Kaila warned.

"Okay, prove it!" Gilan challenged.

"Okay, I will. Horace come at me, armed!" Kaila commanded, standing up in a fighting position.

Horace awkwardly grabbed his sword, then lunged at her. In an impossibly swift movement, Kaila had Horace in a headlock, with a knife at his throat, his sword lying on the ground a few feet away. Horace's eyes grew as big as saucers. "Knife. Down. Please," he said.

Kaila moved the knife away from his throat, then released him from the headlock.

"That was crazy!" Will said. "You move faster than most Rangers do!"

"No way," Gilan denied. "Try to take me down!" He jumped up, then ran at her. In under five seconds, Kaila flipped him over her shoulder, onto the grass, with her booted foot on his chest.

"That good enough for you, Gil?" Kaila asked rhetorically.

Gilan's eyes were crazy wide. Instead of saying anything, he nodded multiple times quickly, then tried to push away her foot, to not much avail.

"You could've just asked for me to move my foot," Kaila said, moving her foot of Gilan, but not before kicking him in the side hard enough to leave a bruise. Gilan scrambled to his feet.

"Do you want more coffee ma'am?" Gilan asked in a scared manner. The others all stared at Gilan in shock. They knew that he wouldn't give away his coffee unless he extremely had to.

"Gil, Kaila must've left a good impression on you," Horace said, laughing.

"Both literally and figuratively," Will said, grinning at the taller Ranger.

"What do you mean?" Horace said, in a state of befuddlement from Will's intelligence.

Will sighed. "Just forget it."

**Read and Review peoples! Please only positive reviews, but if you find any spelling errors, don't hesitate to tell me! **

**Sincerely, **

** WillTreaty618**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

**Disclaimer- I do not own any of the Ranger's Apprentice characters, I am only a huge fan! But I do own Kaila! Plus, this is my first Fanfiction ever, so it might not be great. But if you start reading, please read the entire thing. Thanks!**

Gilan wiped his saxe knife off with a piece of cloth. He sprinkled a small amount of pepper onto each of the eight fish he and Will had caught.

Never leave home without your knife, Gilan's dad had always told him.

Never leave home without your pepper grinder, Gilan's mom had always told him.

As he wiped his knife, he figured that the next person stabbed by it wouldn't want it to still have fish guts on it, so he was being fairly considerable with the process.

Gilan then served the cooked fish to his traveling companions, and then sat down with his own fish.

Each of the knights, along with Gilan and Horace, had their own fish, whereas Will and the girls only had a half. "I cooked a rabbit that I caught last night, so I'm not very hungry now," Will's excuse was. Gilan assumed that he wasn't just avoiding Gilan's better than average cooking.

After their cooked fish lunch, the group decided to head closer to Castle Caraway, but not all the way there.

Gilan, Horace, Will, and the knights packed up the tents while the three girls prepared the twelve horses.

Everyone was in the process of mounting their horses, when Gilan noticed a crucial point in their dismissal. "Kaila doesn't have a horse," he blurted out.

"Can't we take the things off one of the packhorses?" Sir Artur, one of the four knights, asked.

"No, the packhorses are made for carrying luggage, not people. And besides, we need everything that we have packed," Will responded.

"She could ride with me?" Gilan volunteered. He had to admit to himself that he did want to be close to the athletic Gallican girl, who was also, in fact, extremely attractive. Though she was a few measly years younger than him, it was possible, Gilan thought.

He offered his hand, and Kaila took it eagerly, swinging into the saddle behind Gilan. The warmth emanating from her body was pleasantly comforting in the cooler environment of northeastern Araluen. Secretly, Kaila was thinking the exact same thing about him.

Oh, it was great that he volunteered to let her ride with him, Kaila thought. He was relatively attractive, she thought, then corrected herself. No, magnificently attractive! Sure, he was a few measly years older than her, but it was possible.

The traveling group proceeded with caution, never knowing how far out the Temujai's sentries were posted.

Will and Gilan were posted directly in the front, as their horses would be the quickest to react to any onlookers unseen by their riders. Horace followed next, with Alyss and Evanlyn closely behind him. The escort guard of knights was packed to the sides and behind the girls.

From Tug's saddle, Will noticed Kaila's hands slide around Gilan's abdomen, holding on affectionately. Gilan seemed not to notice, then saw Will staring at him, and raised an eyebrow.

Will pointed at Kaila's hands and raised his right eyebrow questioningly. Gilan looked down and saw her hands, but he didn't mind, and shrugged uncaringly at Will, showing his content with their position.

Eventually, Gilan felt Kaila's head rest on his back, and heard her breathing become slower and more consistent. Sleeping, Gilan thought. After her long run from Caraway to their camp in that morning, she must've been exhausted.

Gilan looked up at the gray, overcast sky. Rain later, he thought. Maybe snow. Snow was relatively common in Caraway, as it was in the northern region of Araluen, even though it wasn't as north as Norgate fief, where snow was the only weather seen.

Gilan noticed the silent content between his companions, and assumed the entire journey would be that quiet. He noted the overcast weather, his silent companions, and the steady breathing behind his back, and decided that this was going to be a long ride.

**Read and Review peoples! Please only positive reviews, but if you find any spelling errors, don't hesitate to tell me! **

**Sincerely, **

** WillTreaty618**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

**Disclaimer- I do not own any of the Ranger's Apprentice characters, I am only a huge fan! But I do own Kaila! Plus, this is my first Fanfiction ever, so it might not be great. But if you start reading, please read the entire thing. Thanks!**

As Will and his friends approached Castle Caraway, the more worried Will became.

They passed through two villages, in which all of the people within weren't sociable. The villagers remained in their houses, seeming to pay no attention to the traveling band of knights, two Rangers, and three young women, though Will and Gilan knew that they were being watched.

But the closer they rode towards the castle, the less people there were. Will had the constant feeling that with every step their horses took, there was going to be a Temujai guard on them with the next step.

After hours of travel, Will thought he heard hoofbeats on the dirt ahead of them, and then realized it wasn't just his weary mind playing tricks on him. There really were hoofbeats ahead of them.

Quickly, Will swung off of his horse and shot a look of warning at Gilan. The taller Ranger took the message, and gestured to their group to move their horses quietly into a clearing of trees along the side of the road.

In a minute or two, the riders and their horses, along with a riderless Tug, were in the clearing and out of sight.

Will stood closely to the trees on the side of the road, not noticeable with the camouflage of his cloak, with an arrow drawn and nocked in his bow. He peered over his shoulder and saw his friends quietly hidden away in the trees. He looked back and caught sight of the approaching riders.

Much to Will's relief, he realized that two of them were wearing mottled green cloaks, exactly like him. The riders were a small group, consisting of three people and four animals. An older man, about the age of Halt, rode on the leading horse, wearing a Ranger cloak. His face was barely visible due to the shadow of his pulled up cowl.

The next rider was a boy about a year younger than Will himself. He wore a Ranger cloak also, and his face was hidden as well.

The last rider threw Will off some. It was a woman in her twenties, around Gilan's age, with a longbow and a quiver strung across her back. Surely she couldn't be a female Ranger, Will thought. There were no female Rangers in the corps. Will decided to shrug the thought aside, then felt he should show himself to the riders.

Will walked slowly into the road, and the younger boy noticed him first.

The boy tapped the man on the arm and said, "Andross! That's another Ranger!"

"I see that, Clarke," the man, Andross, told the boy, Clarke. "He is standing right in the middle of the road, how could I not see him?"

"You could've been lookin' away?" Clarke asked in return.

Andross muttered something darkly about young folks always answering a question with a question. He then looked down at Will. "Hullo, fellow Ranger. I'm Ranger Andross. Caraway fief."

"Hullo to you too, Andross!" Will called. "I'm Will, apprentice to Ranger Halt O'Carrick of Redmont fief."

"So you're THE Will?!" Clarke asked incredulously. "You're the one who got kidnapped with the Crown Princess by Skandians and taken to Skandia, and then saved the entire country of Skandia from the Temujai?! Boy, you would sure come in handy now!"

"Excuse my apprentice, Will," Andross said. "Clarke can get a little, eh, overenthusiastic about some things."

"Hey, he's like a slightly younger me," Will said humbly. "And who is..." Will gestured to the young woman behind them.

"This is Britt," Andross said.

"I can speak for my self, Andross," the young lady said sassily. "Hi, Will. I'm Britt. Britt Snyderman. Andross, Clarke, and I were some of the only ones who escaped during the Temujai invasion. We came looking for assistance in overthrowing the Temujai strike force."

"Lucky for you, I know how to fight Temujai in general, and how they operate," Will said. He then noticed a a fourth companion, nuzzling his right hand. He looked down and saw a large tan and black dog, a german shepherd, Will remembered. It started sniffing up and down Will's leg, as though it had caught a scent. "Who is this?"

"We found him after the invasion. As we were leaving, he started following this trail along with us, and his been following us ever since," Britt said. "He seems to be following a scent, and it leads right to you."

"Not to him," Andross said. "The scent is fresh on him, but it is coming from…" Andross paused. He looked at the dog, and Will saw that the dog was walking over to where his friends were hidden. "Over there," Andross pointed.

"Before you go over there, I must tell you that I came here with a group. The Crown Princess was sent to negotiate a deal with Baron Fergus before the invasion happened. My group is escorting her, along with a few others," Will explained, telling the group briefly about his friends mission.

They dismounted their horses, and followed Will to the dog, then behind the clearing where his friends were stored.

"Dear god, how many people and horses can you fit in this clearing?!" Andross exclaimed at the sight of five knights, three girls, a Ranger, and twelve horses in a small clearing.

The dog ran straight up to Kaila. "Beau! Is it really you?" The dog licked her face eagerly. "It is you, Beau!"

"I assume you two know each other?" Will asked.

"Yeah, Beau was my going away present from my mom when we left Gallica to come to Araluen!" Kaila said, happily petting her dog's head.

"Gilan? Is that you?" Britt asked, looking directly at Gilan.

"Do I know you?" Gilan asked.

"Gilan, it's me! Britt! Britt Snyderman!" Britt said, trying to spark his memory.

A light seemed to go off in Gilan's mind. "Britt? It's you?" He asked ecstatically.

Britt ran up and kissed Gilan on the lips. "Gilan, it's been twelve years," she said.

Gilan looked shell-shocked from the sudden kiss. "I know, Britt. I became a Ranger, and then I… I don't know… I had other business to do!" Gilan said defensively.

"More important than visiting your girlfriend of five years?" Britt asked sassily.

"We had been dating for five years when I left, hadn't we?" Gilan asked, guiltily.

"It was our five-year anniversary on the day you left," Britt said sadly.

"Really?" Gilan asked.

"But, we can pick it up where we left off, right?" Britt asked hopefully.

Gilan thought over it. He had had a lot of relationships since he left Caraway. He started enumerating whom all he had dated. Sofie, Anne, Rosalie, Elaine, Claire, Shelby- he had had at least six. He could've thought of at least ten more, if he had fifteen minutes to spare.

"Right?" Britt asked again, snapping Gilan out of his thoughts.

"I don't know, Britt. I mean, it's been twelve years. Both of us have changed drastically in the past twelve years," Gilan said unsurely.

"Can you two discuss this later, because it is time to start setting up camp for the night?" Kaila asked, most likely to stop their conversation.

Gilan looked up. The sun was setting, and the clouds that remained looked rainy. Kaila was right, it was time to set up camp.

In half an hour, the tents were set up, and the horses' lean-to was established. The large group began to eat cold, dry provisions for dinner.

After a cold dry meal, most of the group decided to retire for bed.

Gilan volunteered to be a sentry, as he failed to be awakened the previous night for duty. After he volunteered, Britt volunteered so they could talk.

The old childhood couple talked about old times. When the were in their early teens, they used to go on hunting excursions in the woods behind Castle Caraway. They would spend an entire day in the woods. Gilan would leave around eight in the morning, and return at dinner time. Good times, the old couple thought at the same time.

After talking for an hour, Gilan decided to go to bed, even though he hadn't made a decision about whether or not they were a couple. As he approached his tent, Kaila brushed shoulders with him. She looked up at his weary, clean shaven face, and asked, "You aren't getting back together with that Britt girl, are you?"

"I don't know, Kaila. I hope that I will know by morning," Gilan said, unreassuringly.

"Gilan, I have feelings for you," Kaila admitted quickly.

"You… what?" Gilan asked, unsure of what he had just heard.

"I have feelings for you. I like you. I don't want you with Britt. I want you with me," Kaila asked. She threw her arms around him and rested her head on his chest.

"Kaila, I don't know. I mean, you are so much younger than me," Gilan said.

"Age is but a number. It's feelings that matter, Gil," Kaila said. "Do you like me?"

Gilan rested his head on hers. "I think I may," he said, grinning.

Kaila looked up at him and smiled, then kissed him.

After their discussion, Gilan went to bed, with a decision to make. As Kaila went to take watch duty, Britt walked up to her. "Listen, girl. Gilan is mine, not yours. You got that?" Britt demanded.

"I'm no so sure I do," Kaila said innocently.

"Well, then I'll just have to show you. Let's have a little… chat," Britt said, leading Kaila to the fire.

"Sure. I'd like that," Kaila said, seemingly agreeing.

But neither girl realized that the other had their hand on the hilt of their knife.

**Read and Review peoples! Please only positive reviews, but if you find any spelling errors, don't hesitate to tell me! **

**Sincerely, **

** WillTreaty618**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

**Disclaimer- I do not own any of the Ranger's Apprentice characters, I am only a huge fan! But I do own Britt and Kaila! And also the horses of Andross and Clarke, Maverick and Dakota. And also Kaila's family. But other than them, I don't own any RA characters. Plus, this is my first Fanfiction ever, so it might not be great. But if you start reading, please read the entire thing. Thanks!**

Will awoke to the sound of thunder crashing above.

A particularly loud clap of thunder had disturbed his rest. He sat up in his tent, and looked around him. Gilan was there, Horace was there, Clarke had decided to join in, as they had no tent of their own. Andross had joined Brennigan and Vernon's tent, the least crowded, with the space created by the relatively tall, slimmer knights.

Will heard light rainfall on the tent above, but decided it wouldn't do harm to go far a night time walk. He quietly slipped on his trousers, wrapped his cloak and quiver around him, then grabbed his bow and headed out. Never too rainy to hunt for some breakfast, Will thought.

Will crawled out of the tent on his fingers and toes, wary not to get his trousers wet on the ground, a problem that Halt always faced. He sprang up onto his feet, then wiped the dirt off of his fingers.

Judging by the stars, it was about one in the morning, two, maybe. Surprisingly, Will heard voices by the campfire, despite the early hour.

He slung his bow over his shoulder, then pulled out his saxe and throwing knife, and crept towards the campfire.

He peered around a tree, and saw two figures, one tall, one short, but both girls. Judging by the voices, it was Britt and Kaila.

From his hiding spot, he saw Kaila smack Britt across the face, then Britt smacked her in return. Kaila countered with a uppercut to the jaw, sending the taller girl sprawling on the ground. Will saw Britt shake her head in annoyance, then she drew a dagger from a hidden sheath in her tunic.

This was time to step in, Will decided. He ran up to them, and as Britt took a deadly swipe at Kaila, Will intercepted it with his saxe. Britt recoiled, then slashed Will across the cheek.

Will felt a liquid seep from his cheek down to his mouth, and the familiar taste of blood overwhelmed his taste buds. He looked in shock at Britt, her face full of uncontrollable anger. This wasn't Britt, Will realized. She was in a state of rage.

Britt swung her dagger swiftly and sunk it into Will's right arm before he could react. He felt an excruciating pain as the penetrated his skin. The dagger didn't get very far though.

As Will sank to his knees in pain, an arrow pierced Britt's wrist. She fell back in shock, holding her wrist tightly to stop the blood from seeping out. She quickly ripped part of her sleeve off and held it on the wound.

Will looked in shock to his savior. A familiar grey-bearded face looked down at him from a few meters away. "Halt," Will croaked with agony, his mouth full of blood.

His mentor ran over to him, pulled the dagger out of his arm, then produced a cloth and held tight on the wound. "You'll be fine, Will. You can make it," his mentor comforted him. Despite being in all of the battles Will had been in, he hadn't had many injuries, so Halt had no idea what to say in order to comfort the boy.

Will nodded weakly, and saw Kaila leaning over him on his left. She wiped the blood off of his cheek, her eyes filled with tears. "Will, I-I'm-"

"Talk to him later," Halt said. The girl looked strangely familiar, with a Gallican accent. "Aren't you the one who Horace and I saw in Gallica? The one wearing the short skirt?"

"Uh, yeah," Kaila said uncertainly.

"Makes sense," Halt said with a humph. "Put on some pants next time," he grunted.

Kaila couldn't help but blush.

"Stay with Will. Hold the cloth on him. I'm gonna see the other girl," Halt commanded.

"Sure," Kaila said, holding onto Will's cloth bandage.

Halt walked over to Britt, writhing on the ground, holding her wrist. Halt turned up his nose. "It's a shame. Wasted an arrow on you." He pulled the arrow from her wrist, then set it aside. "Not a completely bad wound, but it will need medical attention." He wrapped her wrist the best he could with a gauze for blood control.

From the tents, Halt heard stirring. Horace and Gilan emerged from their tent, rubbing their eyes.

"Hi, Halt," Horace said. "What are you doing here?"

"I'll tell you in the morning," Halt muttered. Halt saw Gilan, then realized why the girl he had shot looked familiar. She was Gilan's girlfriend when Halt took him as an apprentice.

"What… happened here, Halt?" Gilan asked, surveying the area.

"I… shot your old girlfriend in the hand when she tried to attack the Gallican girl and stabbed Will," Halt stated grimly.

"You what?" Gilan asked, not believing Halt's explanation.

"Exactly what I said," Halt said. "Now help me get Will and the other girl to safety, then I'll explain further."

In around fifteen minutes, Halt, Gilan, Horace, and Kaila had set up a small infirmary for the two wounded. Kaila began tending their wounds more carefully, then told the guys that she could handle it.

They reluctantly left her in control, then sat by the reestablished fire.

"So, what happened?" Gilan asked.

"And why are you here?" Horace asked.

"First things first," Halt said seriously. "Got any coffee?"

**Read and Review peoples! Please only positive reviews, but if you find any spelling errors, don't hesitate to tell me! **

**Sincerely, **

** WillTreaty618**


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

******Disclaimer- I do not own any of the Ranger's Apprentice characters, I am only a huge fan! But I do own Britt and Kaila! And also the horses of Andross and Clarke, Maverick and Dakota. And also Kaila's family. But other than them, I don't own any RA characters. Plus, this is my first Fanfiction ever, so it might not be great. But if you start reading, please read the entire thing. Thanks!**  


"I broke your old girlfriend," Halt told Gilan. It was the only way to put it.

They sat by the fire, the warmth relieving them from the chill of the cold northern air, not to mention it was three in the morning.

Halt had his well anticipated mug of coffee in his hands, and so did Gilan and Horace.

"Well… I get that," Gilan stated.

Halt raised an eyebrow. "And if you get that, why did you ask me to explain to you?"

"I… just want you to fully explain what happened," Gilan said, "… from the beginning."

"Well, if you want it from the beginning, I can tell it from the beginning. At the beginning of time, our God created the world, along with the sun, and the moon, and the-" Halt explained sarcastically until he was interrupted.

"I think," Horace said, "that he wants you to explain what happened beginning with when you got here. At least, that's what I've interpreted."

"What he said," Gilan agreed.

"Glad that's cleared up," Halt muttered. "I was riding here, I heard voices, I got off Abelard, and I came in this clearing. I saw that girl trying to stab the Gallican one, and then Will stepped in to stop her. She stabbed Will, and was going to stab him again, so I shot her in the wrist to disable her from further harm done towards Will."

"Got it," Gilan said tiredly.

"So… other than to save Will, why are you here?" Horace asked. Halt raised an eyebrow at him, so Horace clarified quickly, "Why are you here at our camp tonight?"

"As the Temujai invaded, Sir David sent a messenger pigeon to me, since he knew that you were near me, and that I would be the best person to deal with the Temujai," Halt said. In the statement that another person would've said with a tone of arrogance, Halt said it in a modest tone. "I left at the beginning of the night. I then followed the road here. Unfriendly villages that we pass through, aren't they?" Halt asked Gilan.

"They haven't always been that way. It must be the panic of the castle being invaded," Gilan said.

"By the way, how are we planning to stage an attack on them?" Horace asked. "They have about seventy horsemen, and twelve kaijin. We have five knights, about four and a half Rangers, if Will and Clarke count as one and a half, a princess, a courier, a seventeen year old Gallican girl, and a twenty-something year old woman. We can't exactly expect to take back the castle with fourteen people and sixteen horses, three of the horses only packhorses."

"We have what'll have to do, unless we round up villagers and farmers from those villages we passed?" Gilan suggested.

"Those villagers wouldn't help us with anything, even if their lives depended on it, which they do," Halt stated grimly.

"How did the Temujai get here anyways?" Horace asked.

"Why do you young folk always ask so many questions?" Halt countered.

"I thought you say not to answer questions with questions!" Gilan pointed out.

"I do," Halt said.

"But you just answered a question with a question," Horace accused.

"Your hearing must be failing you, Horace. Must be all the hits to the helmet you've taken," Halt said seriously.

"No really, I said 'How did the Temujai get here anyways?' And you answered by asking 'Why do you young folk always ask so many questions?'" Horace proved to Halt.

"Meh," was Halt's response. He subsequently stuck his mug up to his mouth.

The two younger men looked at each other. They both acknowledged that that was Halt admitting defeat, without admitting defeat.

"Come on, Halt! You know you gotta love us!" Gilan stated, grinning.

Horace joined in on the joking. "Yeah, who wouldn't love this face?" The two young men made faces, as what seemed to them as happy, adorable faces.

"You two look like Skandian sea lions giving birth," Halt stated.

"Oh, come on, Halt! You know that we're your best friends!" Gilan said.

"If you weren't crucial in saving Araluen, I would so skewer you right now," Halt muttered in Gilan's direction.

"You're right, Halt," Horace said. "We are crucial in saving Araluen. We've done it many times before."

"And we've looked good doin' it!" Gilan exclaimed.

Halt looked to the heavens in annoyance thinking, what did I do to deserve this?

**Read and Review peoples! Please only positive reviews, but if you find any spelling errors, don't hesitate to tell me! **

**Sincerely, **

** WillTreaty618**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

**Disclaimer- I do not own any of the Ranger's Apprentice characters, I am only a huge fan! But I do own Britt and Kaila! And also the horses of Andross and Clarke, Maverick and Dakota. And also Kaila's family. But other than them, I don't own any RA characters. Plus, this is my first Fanfiction ever, so it might not be great. But if you start reading, please read the entire thing. Thanks!**

Will awoke with an odd grin on his face.

He didn't remember much from the previous night. He looked around and noticed that he wasn't in his bed, and was, in fact, in a sort of infirmary. With that thought, his left hand moved instinctively to his right bicep, which was aching severely.

He looked to his right and saw Britt on a cot similar to his, her wrist tightly bandaged.

Will attempted to get up, and accidentally put pressure on his right arm, then fell back down. Then, holding his right hand to his chest, he used his left arm and pushed himself up.

He walked unsteadily around the tent, until he had his bearings. He then exited the tent, and headed towards the center of their camp.

The smell of freshly brewing coffee wafted through the air into Will's nose, and he approached the source of the smell instinctively, not noticing the twelve pairs of eyes staring at him as he walked.

Somehow, with one hand, he managed to pour himself a mug of coffee, with his large amount of honey in it. It wasn't until he had sat down and drank half of his mug when he realized that everyone was watching him.

"Oh, hullo everyone!" Will said in an oddly cheerful mood. Everyone regarded him strangely. Half of them seemed in a daze, Will noted. "Oh, hullo, Halt! When did you arrive?"

"Last night," his mentor grumbled. "Just in time to save your life." Halt took another sip of coffee.

"Why was my life in danger?" Will asked, completely oblivious to the goings-on that had taken place the night before.

Kaila stared at him incredulously. "How do you not remember what happened? You saved my life!"

"Well, I don't know how. And, yeah, saving lives happens everyday in the life of a Ranger," Will said. His mentor cleared his throat. "The life of a Ranger's apprentice, I meant." He looked to Halt for approval, and Halt nodded under his cowl.

"Never mind what happened last night," Halt grumbled. "For now, we have to continue discussing our plans of attack."

"And rescue," Kaila added in.

"Yes, and rescue," Halt stated. He was about to go on when he felt Will's question coming on. His apprentice had a tendency to open his mouth a minute before the words came out.

"Wait, continue?" Will asked quickly. "When did you start planning on it?"

"When you were taking your little nap," Halt responded to his apprentice. A few chuckles arose from the knights and the other Ranger and his apprentice.

"In my defense, I was acting in Kaila's defense. And I got stabbed!" Will argued.

Halt raised an eyebrow at his apprentice. They all do that, Kaila thought. Some think they're sorcerers, some think they're ninjas, but to people who know the Rangers, they know that they are coffee-loving, eyebrow-raising, longbow-shooting heroes.

"And how exactly did you know that you got stabbed?" Halt interrogated his apprentice.

"I didn't, until you just told me," Will countered, as a challenge to his mentor.

Horace braced himself. Whenever Will and Halt went at it, one of them ended up in shame, usually the young one.

"Well, I told you, eh?" Halt asked, his eyebrow remaining raised.

"Mmm-hmm," Will said, nodding at his mentor.

"Well how do you know that I wasn't just asking? How do you know that you didn't get shot in the arm instead?" Halt asked his apprentice.

"Well, the only people here who can shoot are you, Gilan, Andross, Clarke, and I. And none of them were up last night when I got stabbed, except you, who wasn't there yet, and myself. And I obviously didn't shoot myself, and you didn't shoot me," Will explained using some good logical reasoning. Horace noticed that Alyss was grinning at her friend for his choice of wordplay. Or at least, that was how Horace interpreted it. "I also notice that you only have twenty-three arrows in your quiver, in comparison to your normal twenty-four. I assume that that one arrow was used to defend Kaila and I from her attacker, let me guess, Britt?"

Halt glared at his young apprentice, pondering a reasonable comeback to Will's intellectual tirade. For once, Will had taken his comeback right off his tongue, and used it against him. He then turned his glare into a slight grin, and offered his hand to his apprentice. "Well played," he said, trying not to let defeat overwhelm him.

Will took his hand in a handshake, proud of his work. Then, still smiling, he realized that he had just angered Halt, and then given him access to his injured arm. He realized his mistake a second too late, and Halt pulled his arm forcefully, sending a jolt of pain up Will's injured right arm.

Will grabbed his arm in pain, then glared at his mentor. "Well played indeed."

**Read and Review peoples! Please only positive reviews, but if you find any spelling errors, don't hesitate to tell me!**

**Sincerely,**

**WillTreaty618**


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

**Disclaimer- I do not own any of the Ranger's Apprentice characters, I am only a huge fan! But I do own Britt and Kaila! And also the horses of Andross and Clarke, Maverick and Dakota. And also Kaila's family. But other than them, I don't own any RA characters. Plus, this is my first Fanfiction ever, so it might not be great. But if you start reading, please read the entire thing. Thanks!**

"What's the report, Gil?" Will asked inquisitively.

"Looks pretty good. No Temujai guards up until you are directly on Castle Caraway, and once you are there, we could slip easily past the few guards," the tall Ranger reported to his shorter, younger friend.

Gilan, just returning from the group's first scouting mission on the state of Castle Caraway, was enjoying his well deserved third cup of coffee. In a Ranger's opinion, one cup is never enough, and neither is two.

"So, you are saying that we could send a group of three to rescue some of the captives, then return unseen?" Horace asked Gilan, sitting around their fire, beside Halt and Will.

"If done correctly, and if they were the right people, then yes," Gilan responded, carefully choosing each word.

"Your plan is logical, Horace, but the problem is which three can we muster to be a rescue force?" Halt pointed out. "We need a group who can be quiet when needed, and combative when needed. Gilan is part of the group of course, but who else?"

"Will?" Horace suggested automatically. His support of his friend would never fail to amaze Halt.

Halt shook his head dejectedly. "Will can't use his right arm. Best to not risk further injury. And obviously not you, Horace. We might as well take a gang of Skandians marching through a field of sticks and dead leaves," Halt stated.

"He's not that loud, Halt," Will said, defending his large friend.

"Will is right," Gilan said, seemingly agreeing. "He isn't that loud. He's louder." The three Rangers began to laugh, and Horace glared at them, then snorted.

"Is making fun of me the funnest thing you can do?" Horace asked.

"First of all, funnest isn't officially considered a word," Will said. "Most fun would be more correct."

"If that was the first off, I don't want to hear the second," Horace said.

Naturally, Horace's smaller friend ignored him. "Second of all, I recommend sending Gil, Clarke, and Kaila as the task force." Halt raised an eyebrow at his apprentice. "No, really! We've already decided on Gilan, and Clarke is a Ranger's apprentice just like I am, so he is trained. And we all know that Kaila can be stealthy, can fight, and has a reason to be a rescuer- her dad is in there."

Gilan and Horace nodded at Will's logical outburst. Halt stared in disbelief at his companions. "Really? You all agree with what he is saying?" They nodded again. "Well, who am I to go against the plan?" Halt asked rhetorically.

(Time Skip)

Gilan grabbed his hand on the top of the windowsill, and looked down to make sure that Clarke and Kaila were climbing up okay. He peeked his head in the window.

Gilan saw a familiar tall, gray haired man sitting in the corner, his hands and feet in bonds. Dad, Gilan thought.

Beside his father, he saw a rather large, rounder man tied similarly beside him, with short ginger hair and a ginger beard. Gilan decided that this man was Baron Fergus of Caraway.

And finally, the last man in the room was a short, bald headed, brown bearded man, whose hardened biceps protruded from his ripped sleeves. His shirt and trousers had stains on them, and by the look of him, he was a smithy. Gilan guessed that that was Kaila's father.

Seeing that no one was in the room besides the captives, Gilan jumped into the room.

And of course, the one moment he entered the room, was the same moment that the door began to open.

**Read and Review peoples! Please only positive reviews, but if you find any spelling errors, don't hesitate to tell me!**

**Sincerely,**

**WillTreaty618**


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

**Disclaimer- I do not own any of the Ranger's Apprentice characters, I am only a huge fan! But I do own Britt and Kaila! And also the horses of Andross and Clarke, Maverick and Dakota. And also Kaila's family. But other than them, I don't own any RA characters. Plus, this is my first Fanfiction ever, so it might not be great. But if you start reading, please read the entire thing. Thanks!**

Gilan glanced quickly from the opening door, to his father and the other captives, then back.

He looked out the window and motioned for Kaila and Clarke to go down, then turned back and hid behind the opening door.

As the door opened, a warrior decorated in furs stepped in, not noticing the hook and rope hanging from the window. Two of his guards followed. The guard on the right shut the door behind him, and Gilan silently cursed.

Without drawing their attention, Gilan pulled his strikers from his belt. He slowly raised his arms up, one in each hand, then brought them down quickly on the two guards heads. The two guards fell unconsciously to the ground, alerting their commander that there was an intruder in the room.

Their commander whirled around, drawing his saber as Gilan drew his sword. The commander swung an overhead slash at the Ranger, and Gilan intercepted it with his sword, kneeing the warrior in the stomach.

The Temujai warrior sunk to the ground in pain, then Gilan hit his head with a striker as well, and the three Temujai were collapsed unconsciously on the floor.

Gilan breathed out heavily, then looked at the three captives. He used his saxe knife and uncut their bonds, then they all stood and stretched their poor aching bones.

"Oh, God bless you, my son," Sir David said, giving his tall son a strong embrace. "We could've died if you hadn't rescued us."

"It's my duty, dad," Gilan said. "Now do you know where your weapons are being kept?"

The smithy, Klint Mckintyre, nodded his head towards a large chest in the room. "They're in there. But the chest is locked. No way in without the key."

"Not if you have a saxe," Gilan said. In a few seconds, Gilan had the chest unlocked and opened.

The two knights retrieved their swords, axes and shields from the chest, along with a few other weapons they could find the room. Kaila's father found his smithing tools, and also found a bottle of acid, which he pocketed. "It could come in handy later," he told the others.

They began climbing down the rope, Gilan at the top on lookout. As the last of the captives reached the bottom, Gilan made sure to climb down carefully.

As he was halfway down the tower, the door in the room above creaked open. He heard an outraged voice in a foreign language, and he slid down the rope as fast as he could. Once he was down, they ran like the blazes to the stables, where the knights' and smithy's horses were held.

They mounted those horses, then ran as quickly as they could to their own horses, then rode like the blazes out of Castle Caraway's grounds.

Riding at almost top speed, Sir David looked at his son. "Gil, where are we heading?"

"Halt and my other companions have a large camp set up in the forest a few miles away from the castle," Gilan explained to his father.

His father nodded, then Clarke turned to the older men. "Gilan, there is no one following us."

"Good, but we still need to get there asap, because we never know when they may come," Gilan explained to the Ranger's apprentice.

The rescue party and freed captives rode swiftly to their campsite, where they were welcomed eagerly by the Rangers and knights, and the few young women.

The group began to settle in, then they began eating a dinner of rabbit stew, which Will was an expert at making. "Hey, just because we are in the wild doesn't mean we have to eat wild!" Will said to the large group.

After dinner, Horace, Gilan and Will cleaned up the bowls. Horace had retrieved a large bucket of water from a nearby stream, and they were sitting by the fire washing and drying the bowls.

Alyss saw the three boys doing the dishes, and noticed a certain expression on Will's face. The expression was depressed, she decided. And she knew exactly why.

She stood up from her seat near the tents, and walked over to the campfire. She sat down beside Will, and said, "The meal was divine, Will." He smiled faintly and nodded at her, not saying a word. She kissed his cheek delicately. "Compliments to the chef," she said kindly. Will smiled a little bigger. "Can we go talk in private?"

Will looked up at her. "Sure, but are the guys willing to do the dishes by themselves?" He looked back down at his friends.

Horace nodded. "Yeah, you go on, Will. We got it handled here. Plus Clarke can help us if we need it." Nearby, practicing his knife throwing, Clarke groaned loudly.

"Thanks, Horace," Will said with a smile. The guys seemed to pick on Clarke more than they did Will lately, probably because he wasn't the youngest in the group anymore.

Alyss wrapped her hand in his, leading him towards her tent. She glared and smiled deviously at Evanlyn as she passed her, making sure her control over Will was noted.

Will followed Alyss into the tent, then sat down beside her on the blanket, mindful of his arm.

"Will, I'm sorry you feel excluded from the activities," Alyss said, apologizing for something that she had nothing to do with.

"What do you mean?" Will asked. She gestured at his injured arm. "Oh. Yeah…" his voice trailed off.

She put her arm around him carefully. "Will, it is okay that you are injured. I know that you didn't get to perform in the rescue, and I know that you want to play a part in the siege to take back Caraway, but you are injured. I understand how bad that must feel to you."

"The restrictiveness is more painful than the wound itself," Will agreed.

"And because of that, I had a gift made for you. I know you can't use it now, but… it might take your mind off of things," Alyss said. Will raised his eyebrow skeptically, terribly failing trying to imitate his mentor. "Don't do that. You can't do it the way Halt or Gilan can."

Halt must've been walking by the tent, because outside he said, "Gilan can't do it either. Never has been, never will. Poor boy used to go to sleep holding his eyebrow up with his hand when he went to sleep, thought it would get permanently stuck like that. The good old days with my first apprentice."

Alyss giggled at the story, as she pictured a younger Gilan falling asleep with his fingers prying his brow up.

Will, however, took the last phrase with offense. "Hey, are you saying the days with me, your second apprentice, aren't good?"

Halt paused for a second, then responded with, "No comment." He then swiftly walked away from the tent.

Will shook his head in disbelief, and turned back to Alyss, who was red in the face from laughing. "Hey!"

"Sorry, Will," Alyss said. "I'm laughing at the idea of Gilan holding his brow up, not Halt not liking you." She immediately covered her mouth with her hands after the words came out.

Will sighed in frustration, then looked back at Alyss. "What was the gift?"

"Oh! Yeah," Alyss said. She reached over to the large travel pack she had brought, and pulled out an instrument case. As she opened the latches, she said, "This is a mandola. It's kind of like a lute, except that this has eight strings, and a lute has ten. I know that you can't play it now, since your arm is injured, but you could learn how to play."

Will took the mandola in his arms, then looked up thoughtfully.

"What are you thinking of?" Alyss inquired.

"I was wondering," Will began, "if I held my eyebrow up while I sleep, if it _would_ get stuck permanently in that position."

**Read and Review peoples! Please only positive reviews, but if you find any spelling errors, don't hesitate to tell me!**

**Sincerely,**

**WillTreaty618**


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

**Disclaimer- I do not own any of the Ranger's Apprentice characters, I am only a huge fan! But I do own Britt and Kaila! And also the horses of Andross and Clarke, Maverick and Dakota. And also Kaila's family. And now, I realize that I own the three men terrorizing Horace in the Drunken Dragon, as well as Gerald the innkeeper. But other than them, I don't own any RA characters. Plus, this is my first Fanfiction ever, so it might not be great. But if you start reading, please read the entire thing. Thanks!**

Will awoke in a very dark tent.

He looked around seeing that Horace, Gilan, and Clarke were still asleep around him.

He could've sworn that he heard someone outside. But Horace, Gilan, and Clarke are asleep, Will thought. Quietly, he moved his blanket off of him, and crept to his feet. He suddenly noticed that the air was frigid in the tent.

Freezing and dark, Will thought. Not usually a good combination. Cautiously, he crept out of the tent, and found himself knee deep in snow.

He looked up, noticing that the tent was completely covered, making it dark and cold. Quickly, he moved inside and blocked the doorway with his blanket, so the snow didn't pile inside when he left.

He buckled his Ranger gear around his waist, and slung his quiver and longbow over his shoulder. Might as well hunt before everyone is up, he thought. Then his right bicep began to ache.

He left the tent, then muttered under his breath, "Ughh, stupid arm. But I might as well use it so I don't get used to not using it."

He began walking out of the camp, then noticed an indentation in the snow. A footprint. He knelt down and studied it. A grown man's boot. He could tell by the deep indentation it made, most likely from the man's weight.

He walked forward. Another print. Then another. Then another. The footsteps led completely out of the camp.

But the biggest thing that frightened him was up ahead. A few feet ahead, the snow was stained red with blood. He began to panic. "Oh, what would Halt do? What would Halt do!" He asked himself. Then a realization hit him. "Wait, Halt is here. I can ask him what he would do. Or better yet, I could watch what he does while he figures it out!"

He ran back into the camp, towards Halt's tent, when he saw another frightening thing. The tent occupied by Evanlyn and Alyss was open, and empty.

He then ran into Halt's tent. "Halt, Evanlyn and Alyss are gone, there are a man's footprints leading from the camp, and there is blood out there!" Will cried.

Halt groaned and sat up. "And all of that is urgent enough to wake me up?" He asked grumpily.

"YES!" Will exclaimed. "The Crown Princess of Araluen is missing, along with Alyss! And they could be hurt!"

Halt sighed, then got up. He buckled his Ranger gear around his waist, slung his quiver over his back, and grabbed his bow. "Let's go find them."

"Shouldn't we wake someone up as a watch?" Will asked.

"Wake up everyone in your tent. Gilan can come with us, Horace and Clarke can watch," Halt ordered. Will did as told. Horace and the others weren't jovial about being woken up from a deep sleep, though Horace was encouraged when he learned that Evanlyn and Alyss were missing.

"You better find them," Horace told Will. "Duncan will have our heads if Evanlyn dies."

"Well, if we do lose her, let's give it all we have against the Temujai, and maybe they'll have our heads before Duncan can," Will joked.

"Not funny," Horace said, not smiling one bit.

Then Will led Halt and Gilan out of the camp, showing them the tracks, and the blood stain. There were more prints and bloodstains ahead.

As they trudged through the snow, Will's toe hit something hard. He reached down, and picked up a round lead shot. "The ammunition for Evanlyn's sling," Will said aloud. "And it's dented on one side. That means that the kidnapper has armor."

Halt nodded in approval. The Rangers followed the tracks. Will noted that the bloodstains had ended about halfway to their destination, but the footprints hadn't. Closer on the way there, the bloodstains began again.

The trio stopped when they heard voices. "Hey, tall girl, gimme a kiss, why don't ya?!" A manly voice said. The sound of a hand hitting skin resounded through the air. "I said a kiss, you little-!" Another slap rang out.

"Hey, why don't you try the short one, Hobbs!" Another man suggested.

"Why don't you shaddup, Erstel!" Another man said. This voice wasn't the same as the first.

"Why don't ya both shaddup?!" The first man, Hobbs, said. "Erstel, Tonks, you two'll wake up the whole camp that we got 'em from!"

"Sorry, Boss," the two other men said in unison.

"Now how 'bout it girlies? Wanna give Papa Hobbs a few kisses?" Hobbs suggested. He then cried out in pain. "She kicked me! The short one kicked me in the shin!"

"Be grateful, she coulda kicked ya elsewhere," Tonks said.

"Didn't I tell you to shut up, Tonks!" Hobbs roared.

Will looked to Halt. "I'll stay here. Will, go around to the right. Gil, go around to the left, fire when I give the signal," Halt whispered.

The younger Rangers did as told. Will carefully pulled an arrow out of the quiver, nocked it, then drew it to full draw. He looked to Halt for the signal. Out of his peripheral vision, he saw Gilan do the same. Halt nodded.

All three Rangers let loose, and each shot an arrow through each of the men's right leg. The three men howled in pain. The Rangers ran into the small clearing that the men were holding Evanlyn and Alyss in.

The Rangers each slipped cuffs out of their gear, and bound each of the men's ankles and thumbs together. After they were carefully restricted, and Halt and Gilan were dealing with them, Will ran over to check the state of the girls.

Evanlyn had a gash in her cheek and forehead, and a large cut in her right leg. Her clothes were ripped and had bloody cuts under them in many places.

Alyss' cheek was bruised from what Will guessed was a slap. Her sleeves and pants were torn in many places as well. She also had a deep cut in her arm, and a cut across her lips.

"My god, I am so sorry," Will apologized to the two girls. Evanlyn was shaking fearfully, while Alyss had tears in her eyes. He wrapped both of them in his arms, and pulled them in. He could feel the weeping and shuddering on his shoulders, and didn't mind the tears and drops of blood dripping on his clothes. He was also well aware of the stares from Halt and Gilan burning into his back. The two girls brought their heads up, and Will sighed deeply.

"Now, how about we get you two back to camp, and get those cuts bandaged up?" Will asked, helping his two dear friends to their feet. Will turned and examined the three attackers, then realized why they looked so familiar. He looked at Alyss. "These three men," he began, "are the three that made Horace drink, and that got away before I could do anything. I am so glad we caught them. But I am also so sorry that you two had to suffer what you did for it to happen."

"It's okay, Will," Evanlyn said. "You didn't try to make it happen, but the good thing is that you got here when you did."

"She's right," Alyss said.

"We might've been hurt more, or worse," Evanlyn said, "we might've actually had to kiss them."

**Read and Review peoples! Please only positive reviews, but if you find any spelling errors, don't hesitate to tell me!**

**Sincerely,**

**WillTreaty618**


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Ranger's Apprentice characters. I am no longer listing the entire list of who I own, and I assume that whomever is reading this and has read the previous chapters knows what characters I own. And if any of my readers that read this also read my Kickin' It fanfic, Month-Long Vacation, I apologize for not updating today. Now enjoy!**

Horace was outraged.

First, the three men had forced him to drink, and have a splitting headache for the next twenty-four hours. Second, they kidnapped Evanlyn and Alyss and harmed them. And third, the Rangers' arrows didn't kill them.

The Rangers had brought the three men back to camp, along with Alyss and Evanlyn, who were in a horrible condition.

As soon as they had gotten there, Horace helped get Alyss and Evanlyn into their makeshift infirmary tent. He and Will took the job of caring for them and tending to their horrible wounds. After thoroughly bandaging the cuts and slashes, Horace tried to triple-check Evanlyn's wounds. To his annoyance, she stopped him.

"Horace, I promise you, I'm fine now. I'm bandaged, and I'm already feeling better. You don't have to keep obsessing over me," Evanlyn assured him.

"Well I know I don't HAVE to keep obsessing over you. But what if I want to obsess over you?" Horace asked.

The princess laughed. "Don't."

"But-"

"Don't."

"But you didn't-"

"Don't."

Horace sighed loudly. Evanlyn had the upper hand in their relationship, and both of them knew it. "Well, you win, as usual."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Evanlyn asked defensively.

Horace looked at Alyss and Will across from them, and they were both grinning at him. He then looked back at Evanlyn, then ran like the blazes out of the tent.

"Horace Altman! I swear I will kill you now if you don't come back!" Evanlyn shouted as Horace ran off. But Horace didn't stop until he was on the other side of the camp.

A few moments later, Will emerged from the tent. He sat down beside Horace with an extremely concerned look on his face. "Horace, if I were you, I would leave the country at this very moment."

"Why?" Horace asked.

A familiar whumph-whumph-whumph sound answered his question. Evanlyn was standing outside of the tent, her sling spinning dangerously beside her, a lead shot in it.

She was about to let it fly when Halt stepped in the way. "No. No one else needs to get injured. We are going to have to take back the castle by force, and we can't do that with everyone injured. Will's arm, you and Alyss' everywhere, we don't need Horace dead, for a multitude of reasons," Halt stated.

"I wasn't gonna kill him," Evanlyn muttered.

"Oh yeah? Well, where were you planning on shooting him at?" Halt inquired.

"I dunno. The arm. The foot. The face," Evanlyn suggested.

"How about none of the above?" Halt asked rhetorically.

Evanlyn sighed audibly, then glared at Horace. After a long, meaningful stare, she headed back into the infirmary.

Halt sat down across from Horace and Will. "What's the verdict for those three?" Horace asked, jerking his thumb at the kidnappers, with his other hand on the hilt of his sword.

Baron Fergus answered the question first. "We decided that once the raid is over, they'll be arrested by yours truly," he said with a slightly off-balanced bow, due to his larger than average waist. "But until then, they're still in our captivity, and I'm still the Baron, so my verdict is to have them fight for us when we fight the Temujai to overtake the castle. By the looks of them, they could fight a little, even if they are shot through the leg."

"Smart," Horace said. "Making them work now, thinking they'll get away if we win, then still arrest them. Deceptive, but smart. Glad to have you on our side, Baron."

"Anything for the welfare of the fief and the country," Fergus replied humbly.

After their conversation, Horace and Will were having a peaceful walk away from the camp, to collect their thoughts.

But in the midst of the walk, Horace heard hoofbeats on the path. He exchanged a quick glance with Will, then they hid in the trees quickly.

By the looks of it, it was a minstrel, and a surprisingly young one at that, headed for Castle Caraway. He seemed about the age of Gilan and Britt. For the minstrel's wellbeing, Horace came out and stopped him.

"Traveler," Horace said, "you aren't going to the castle, are you?"

"As a matter of fact, I was. A traveling minstrel, I am. Came to play at the inn at the castle. A man's gotta make a living," the minstrel said. Despite his less than adequate grammar, the minstrel had a magnificent voice.

"Well, it's better now not to head towards the castle. It's been overrun by Temujai, the warriors from the Eastern Steppes," Horace warned.

"Well that ain't good, is it." The minstrel said. "Any better place to go? Anything being done about the invasion?"

"My friends and companions are trying to build up a force to attack the castle. I am in league with the Ranger, Baron, and Battlemaster of Caraway, as well as Ranger Halt," Horace stated.

The minstrel's eyes widened at the mention of Halt. "Who… who are you?"

"I am Horace Altman, the knight of the Order of the Oakleaf. I am part of the king's royal guard, and I am the Crown Princess' chosen champion," Horace stated, moderately stretching the truth to glorify himself.

"So you are Sir Horace?" The minstrel asked. "It would be an honor to serve you." The minstrel bowed. "And excuse me for not telling you my name first. I am Elijah Bernard, from Trelleth Fief."

"Well met, Elijah," Horace said, shaking the minstrel's hand. "Now let me introduce you to my friend and colleague, Will Treaty."

Will emerged from the trees and pulled his cowl back, revealing his young, friendly face. He walked up to the minstrel on horseback, and shook his hand. "Heard you are a minstrel. What do you play?"

"Mandola, I play," Elijah said. "You play something?"

"No, not yet. But I just received a mandola from a good friend of mine," Will said.

Horace smirked when he referenced Alyss as a good friend of his. "VERY good friend of his," Horace said, trying to let Elijah know what he meant.

The minstrel nodded in Horace's direction. "Aye. I have a special someone, also. I was visiting them now. They live at the castle. I wonder if they are okay," Elijah pondered.

"We should hope they are," Horace said. "Now come, let's introduce you to our companions." And he and Will began to lead the minstrel to the camp. Little did they know what would await when they arrived at the camp.

**Read and Review peoples! Please only positive reviews, but if you find any spelling errors, don't hesitate to tell me!**

**Sincerely,**

**WillTreaty618**


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: I don't own RA or any of the characters. All of my readers know which characters I do own, so I won't bother listing them. To my Kickin' It readers, I apologize AGAIN, because I keep forgetting to post another chapter. Sorry! Don't kill me! Now read on and enjoy!**

Gilan was confused.

When Horace and Will showed up with a minstrel in tow, Britt was suddenly jerked from her seat by an invisible force, and thrown into the minstrel's arms.

"So, apparently you two know each other?" Gilan asked.

Britt turned for a few moments. "Yes. Elijah and I have been… good friends for a while now. Since a few years after you left, Gilan. And now he's my…"

"Save the backstory, girl," Halt said. "We have things to be done. We don't need a good hour taken out of our precious time for when we plan the assault. Now, Elijah, was it? Come settle yourself in. Not much room as it is, but make yourself comfortable. The more people we have for the assault the better."

"Oh, thank you, Ranger Halt. I will indeed do my very best when serving you," Elijah said with a slight bow.

"No need for that praise. I'm just a Ranger, not royalty," Halt said.

"Just a Ranger? You're a legend!" Elijah cried.

"Bah," Halt denied.

Elijah moved on from the conversation, and began showing his horse to the extremely crowded stable, when Britt took the reins from him. "I'll get that, honey. Come on, Melody. That's a good girl," Britt said, praising Elijah's horse.

Elijah went to go sit down and admire Halt, while Britt began putting his things safely away. Gilan approached suspiciously. "Why'd you call him 'honey'?" Gilan asked. "And why is he trusting you with all of his stuff?"

Britt bit her lip. "That's what I was trying to say before Halt interrupted. He's my fiancé. We were to be married when he came on this journey, but with the takeover, it might have to wait. That's why I have been so on edge."

"Fiancé?!" Gilan asked. "Then why were you trying to win me back earlier? And why did you try to stab Kaila over me?"

"I- I was nervous, okay. I had no idea when Elijah was coming, and I didn't know if I would be able to catch him and redirect him from the castle. That's why I have been so on edge lately," Britt explained.

Gilan stayed silent, thinking. He was utterly confused. What she had said made sense to him, but he still couldn't wrap his mind around it. Finally, he got an idea. "Baron Fergus can perform it now."

"What? That's crazy!" Britt said.

"No, it's not! He was going to be the priest, wasn't he?" Gilan asked. Britt nodded. "And do you have your wedding dress?" This time, Britt shook her head.

"No, I couldn't bring it during the escape from the castle," Britt said, sadly.

"Well, you could borrow one of Alyss' courier dresses! You two are about the same height, and her dresses are white, and she has multiple of them!" Gilan pointed out.

Britt sighed, then smiled. "Yeah, I guess so. Let's do this."

Gilan then grinned at her. "Well, in that case, can I be Eli's best man?"

(Time Skip)

"I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the- or, just keep doing what you are doing," Baron Fergus said, as the newly married couple kissed.

The small crowd clapped and cheered. Even though they had only known the bride for a few days, and the groom for a few hours, they were truthfully excited.

The afternoon had gone by fast, Gilan thought. After he and Britt's discussion, she had told the idea to Elijah, then thy asked the Baron.

Britt had asked the three other girls to be her maids of honor, and even though she had tried to stab one of them, they all agreed. Alyss also agreed to share her white courier dresses with Kaila and Britt, as Evanlyn already had a white dress of her own.

As for the men, they were simply asked if they would get cleaned up for the wedding by Elijah.

In preparation, Halt decided his unruly salt-and-pepper hair needed a trim. So he whipped out his saxe and went to work. Nearby, Horace and Will watched in awe. "He really cuts it with his knife?" Horace asked.

"Yep," Will said. "I tried it once, Alyss slapped me silly the next day."

Horace grinned, then brought his sword up to his long hair. "I wonder what would happen if I-"

At that moment, Evanlyn stormed up to him. "Don't even think about it, Altman. I swear, if you get anywhere near your hair with that blade, I will tear you limb from limb, then beat you to death with them. And if that isn't brutal enough, I'll lay your body in an open field for the wolves and vultures to feast on your decaying carcass. Do I make myself clear?"

Horace swallowed what felt like a stone in his throat, then nodded. "Yes ma'am," he managed to say.

"Good," Evanlyn said, then she skipped peacefully away.

After a long minute of silence, Horace looked at Will and said, "She was kidding, right?"

Will shrugged. "I dunno. As Halt says, expect the worst, that way you aren't disappointed when it comes."

"I knew I actually got that message through to you!" Halt called from his hair trimming spot.

After that, the men washed their face, mildly combed their hair, then were ready.

Then the wedding had gone through without a single interruption, and everyone was happy.

Then finally, Halt decided it was enough happiness, and brought up the topic of the assault again. Everyone calmed down, and began to get back to their previous states. They all met at the center of the camp.

"So," Halt began, "any ideas?"

**Read and Review peoples! Please only positive reviews, but if you find any spelling errors, don't hesitate to tell me!**

**Sincerely,**

**WillTreaty618**


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